Spring Sewing!

Ahhh Spring is in full swing and I LOVE 80 degree weather! Plus all the other springish bonuses - lime green trees, fuschia flowers, sitting on the porch and digging in dirt. You know, all the good stuff! Last night I even made pasta with a sage brown butter using goodies from my garden. And everyone ate it, success!

Anyway, I always try to stick to knitting when it's chilly cause it seems like torture to think of wearing a sundress while you're freezing. But at the first sign of flip-flop weather summer sewing is a go. So yesterday I sewed a ton of burlap bags for the Craft Social "seed bomb" workshop next week. Briar had fun playing with all the "itchy bits" - aka. scrap burlap. And I didn't have fun cleaning them up later!

But the most fun I've had in a while was something that's been on my craft "to do" list forever... last night I finally upcycled a thrift store skirt and tshirt into a sundress (70% off = $1.30 total). It was a bit of trial and error, but a super easy way to make a cheap, cute dress. I cut off the bottom of the skirt to create the sash, re-hemmed the skirt, attached it to the shirt, then sewed & attached the sash using a seam in the front and the skirt loops in the back. The skirt even has pockets as a bonus, yay! Really very easy, you can do it! Next time I think it'll be an even quicker process... Thanks Toya for the company and tech support! Summer here we come!!
-HAPPY SPRING SUN-

Shopping in PJ's!

Oo, oo, oo NO MORE STORAGE UNIT!! I feel 10 pounds lighter and $96 a month richer! I'm telling you, those places are wonderful when needed and miserable when you're trying to break-up with them. M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E. So now that we've finally gone our separate ways, I've been digging through old boxes and happily finding all kinds of goodies. The best part is that it feels like decorating for free. Or maybe great thrift store shopping in my pajama pants - we all can dream! Anyway, thought I'd share a tiny snapshot of what I found. As well as an insanely cool turquoise sewing machine that I desperately tried to justify buying today. It really would have been great friends with my red machine...

-HAPPY COLORFUL BUNGALOW-

Sugarberry Bathroom!

Sorry for the quick post, but I have to share some new excitement! Our tiny bungalow has 1 bathroom...yes, one. So the fact that it's been painted high gloss "kettle" black since we bought it has seriously hurt my heart. I love black, just not in that way. Anyway, today I took the plunge and FINALLY committed to a new color - "sugarberry" by Behr. It's pink, but as un-pink as a pink could be. Lots of gray and a tiny hint of lilac in it. Let's just say that even Tim likes it, hooray! Plus the name is just fun to say. Thanks Mystical Rose for the great tip!
I've also included a photo of something new that's coming soon... Happy weekend!
-HAPPY NEW BATHROOM-

Happy Surprise Mail!

I LOVE MAIL... not bills from the electric company (they don't count) but real mail. Like letters, postcards and unexpected packages. I even like those freebie coupon books because they contain deals that I swear are made just for me! So you can imagine how happy my heart was today when I found a box on my doorstep from my great friend and old design client, Julie. She is A-mazing and absolutely wonderful to us. MG is thrilled with the cutest pair of crocheted cupcakes (I need to make some more, fun!) and the note on McB's gift is still cracking me up! Oh how true it is! Thank you Julie for making our hearts happy - we love you!
-HAPPY DELIVERIES-

Crafty Kids - Spring Shower Curtain Bangles!

Well folks, we unpacked storage this past weekend. Yup. For any of you that have ever had a storage space, attic, basement or even a closet, you know how scary this can be. After all the dread it turned out to be quite fun. Honest! I found all kinds of goodies including old photos of our early days in New York and some of my kid's preemie baby clothes. It's hard to believe they were that teeny!

Anyway, I also found a bunch of home stuff that we used to stage our house in Southport. Including some really great shower curtain rings - exciting, I know! So when I went to change out the el cheapo ones, both kids had rings stacked up their arms. Which got me thinking... how to make them into a fun project?

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
• cheap plastic shower curtain rings
• white glue
• fun paper napkins or tissue paper
• a junkie paintbrush

WHAT TO DO:
Cut up the napkins or paper into 1 inch squares (no need to be perfect about it). Paint enough glue onto a ring to stick one of the squares on. Continue until the whole ring is covered. Then coat the ring with another layer of glue as a varnish. Let it dry for a couple hours and ta-da, a fun kid's sized bangle! You could add glitter, gems, buttons, etc. Tons of fun for a princess party craft and super cheap!

PS - Because this involves glue and some skill, I would recommend this craft for ages 3 plus
-HAPPY REPURPOSED HOME GOODS-

Spring Super hero!

Spring is in the air and I have a new personal super hero - his name is Raven Sutton! He dug out the yuckiest dead shrubs and turned over the soil in my flower beds in under 5 hours including a lunch break. That has to be a super power! I can't wait to get planting... oh the plans I have planned!

Uh oh, little McB is up. Here's a quick list of the latest at our tiny happy bungalow:
1. A new knit & crocheted cloche hat for MG adapted from this DROPS pattern
2. The paperwhites are growing! If you ever spy some at a local nursery, get a few. They're lots of Spring fun with no effort.
3. AND Briar is drawing on everything... except paper. Including all over our bathroom with waterproof mascara. Yes, it is just like grease! Creative channeling is in order!

Be back soon, Michelle
-HAPPY ALMOST SPRING-

Cupcakes & a Tornado!

WHOA we had a super serious storm yesterday!! I love a good bit of thunder and lightening but this was a Wizard of Oz-like tornado. Trust me when I say, I was a tad freaked out! It left our neighborhood all jumbled up with power lines, fallen trees and very sadly a bunch of crushed homes (both of the bungalows behind us are a mess). So today we are feeling very grateful to have a home in one piece and no one hurt. And thank you to Miss Annie for the insanely yummy dark chocolate with pistachio buttercream cupcakes! Did you ever think of opening a bakery? Well, yes you did indeed!

-THANKFULLY HAPPY-